Having promoted events all over the place since the late seventies, i have recently noticed a new phenomenon in deejaying lol,its where the guest deejay or even the resident dj puts on records for an hour without saying a word and then gets paid for it.Now back when i first started i was always told don't be afraid of the mic its your tool to use at will,.Now i'm not being funny but i have been to 4 different venues recently and even though the music has been ok ,the atmosphere has been to say the least shite.....i'm very sorry 2 of these record players i would have asked to be future guests but due to them miming its there loss not mine,so to promoters please ask the guest if he/she is mic friendly before hiring save me the bother of entrance fee and come on if your missus or best mate is one of your resident jocks at least get em to say hello,its the polite thing to do ...thoughts anyone or is it just little ole me again ????

It's what's in the groove that counts!

Every DJ has is own way of doing things on the decks and with a mic, My way was to thank the last DJ before me , straight into my spot for 60 minutes non stop rolling one tune right into the next one to try to keep the floor full , tell them last one from me and who was coming next, I couldn’t enhance any tune I was playing by speaking in between or over it , or I would’ve broke the vibe, it worked for me 99% of the time, maybe I was Lucky , maybe I always new what to follow with, The Music was always the Star, It made them dance and made them happy, that’s only my take on it, If anybody wanted to know what I’d played or request they only had to ask, Lots of different things make the world go round, and lots of different DJ,s make the records go round in their own way, everybody to their own.

ML

Talking is essential in my opinion, if only to give the dancers a bit of a breather.

Record after record with no talking, you don’t need a Dj, just a laptop or jukebox. You aren’t a Dj if you don’t talk, just a record putter onner.

As I mentioned in my reply,the talking gives the dancers chance to catch there breath and a few seconds prep for the next tune,so talking for me is essential,and a traditional up keep of the northern soul dj!

When I started DJing I was too scared to open my mouth, what played a massive part in that was the Yam Yam accent and thinking nobody is going to understand me 😂😂... As we speak in vowels half the time !!

But a great gentleman gave me some advice ... He said you are the sales person and you need to sell that record to your audience so pick the mic up and sell it .. and from then on you can't keep me off the mic ... So to me using the mic is a massive part of DJing ... It's introducing, information and just giving someone a bit of information or history of the record, and I always say if you are unsure of a record it's best to introduce it.

Enthusiasm and passion plays a big part ☺️

I always think it goes with the flow of the tunes too

Edited Wednesday at 09:562 days by Natalie89

2 hours ago, Natalie89 said:

When I started DJing I was too scared to open my mouth, what played a massive part in that was the Yam Yam accent and thinking nobody is going to understand me 😂😂... As we speak in vowels half the time !!

But a great gentleman gave me some advice ... He said you are the sales person and you need to sell that record to your audience so pick the mic up and sell it .. and from then on you can't keep me off the mic ... So to me using the mic is a massive part of DJing ... It's introducing, information and just giving someone a bit of information or history of the record, and I always say if you are unsure of a record it's best to introduce it.

Enthusiasm and passion plays a big part ☺️

I always think it goes with the flow of the tunes too

Maybe bang into a bit of karaoke if your into your mic now 😂

5 minutes ago, Dobber said:

Maybe bang into a bit of karaoke if your into your mic now 😂

Or I could just do the Yam yam old MC Donald e ay I ay e ay oo 😂😂😂

11 minutes ago, Natalie89 said:

Or I could just do the Yam yam old MC Donald e ay I ay e ay oo 😂😂😂

Sounds alright to me,you got the instrumental version too? 😂

18 minutes ago, Dobber said:

Sounds alright to me,you got the instrumental version too? 😂

That's as rare as me speaking propa 😂😂

4 hours ago, Chalky said:

Talking is essential in my opinion, if only to give the dancers a bit of a breather.

Record after record with no talking, you don’t need a Dj, just a laptop or jukebox. You aren’t a Dj if you don’t talk, just a record putter onner.

should play records like George Freeman again and give the old buggers a rest ha

Less talk, more music and some records - probably most - don't need introduction, we know them all!

Think I must be classed as a 'Record Player'. Yes, I do announce the artist and title, but no razzmatazz, no shouting 'let's be 'avin ya' or stuff like that. Some DJ's are perfect MC's, others like to hear the sound of their own voice at the expense of the dancefloor. I prefer to let my music to do my talking, after all, the audience are there to hear records. Try to post my playlists as often get requested to do so and enjoy the discussions after my set! We're all different and another topic is 'do DJ's play safe to fill the floor' or do they play what they like in the hope the audience will also like?

In the 1980s I remember John Venn aka ‘Esher’, could really talk on the mic, you’d often get a potted history of a 45 before he played it!

Then there was Dancing Derek Allen, who was great on the mic, danced and played imaginary instruments. The guitar break in Pat & The Blenders springs to mind.

Then you have Keith Money who says little, but plays great records and is fascinating to watch as he goes through his set, fully in the zone.

Each one of those guys are very different, each had/have great style.

On 13/05/2025 at 10:24, Solidsoul said:

I prefer the DJ's to annonce the records.

It creates atmosphere, slightly like a live performance, rather than the feeling of listening to piped music in a supermarket!

Also when dj is professional and talks clearly, like Richard Searling for instance, it's informative and I can learn a new records details, without having to go up and ask all the time!

Im not sure nowadays that Richard plays any new stuff out that I need information on really. It can all become a bit Wheeltappers & Shunters.....

On 12/05/2025 at 11:34, Woodbutcher said:

An awful lot over the years have reminded me of this magnificent piece of TV advertising ...  

 

 

 

Amazing. (When goalies caught the ball too.)

Thanks : )

It's a personal thing, it's about the music not the "personalities" putting it on a slip mat in a village hall. I dont think I can recall one instance where I've enjoyed someone shouting a word jumble into a mike between songs, and very often staying the obvious.

I don't think many in Britain have got ot at all, some struggle to string a set together, despite the varying quality of what goes on the slipmat. There are also some on radio stations who I can listen to but many who I can't. It's all subjective.

I did a show for a couple of years but I didn't really feel I had natural ability when it came to MCing unless I was half cut. I'm glad to be out of it to be fair. I didn't ..enjoy it. Out of my comfort zone. Glad to see the back of it. Always preferred the dancing.

either you've got it or you haven't.

From my new book, how to win friends and influence people.

Edited yesterday at 07:331 day by Bunderthollox

Horses for courses. If you have soul police CCTV showing everyone what's on the decks then there's less need for chat, but no harm if it's informative, entertaining or generally positive - enthuasiasm is usually infectious. As long as the music stays front and centre, there's no harm done. And while most of us might know most of the sounds, catching a stray punter is always a possibility and shouldn't be forgotten. And for those of us with Alzheimer's, it's good to be reminded sometimes.